for president george h.w. bush by country superstars while his family held vigil at his hospital bed. ah, the oak ridge boys, one of the former president's favorite bands getting a serenade getting together for the president who was in the hospital singing "amazing grace" and their big hit, "elvira," through the phone. great news. their serenade seemed to bring some good luck. the former president is getting better, and we'll have the latest on his condition. "elvira" was one of my favorite songs growing up. we share our taste in music, the president and i. >> i was very surprised to learn that factoid. also coming up, the story of how two teenage boys ended up knee-deep and barefoot in an icy swamp. and the extraordinary rescue that played out. it involved a cell phone, a chopper and a game of hot and cold. we'll tell you about that in just a few minutes. >> the survival lesson they won't soon forget. also, those kids put their phone to good use.

if you got your kid an iphone for christmas -- i did, my stepdaughter is 13 -- got an iphone. a lot of parents are worried that he or she might abuse it. a mom who may have the ultimate solution. she made her son sign an 18-point contract that includes everything from hand the phone over to your parents at 7:30 every night to no porn to mom always knows the password. >> a lot of parents are taking note this morning. it's going viral. we'll tell you about the rest of this creative contract in a few minutes. speaking of smartphones, we've all heard of the insanely addictive game angry birds. there is a real-life version playing out in the florida everglades. the mischief that vultures are making coming up. >> i don't want to make those birds angry. we do want to get right to the big digout from the second snowstorm in days. putting a hamper on a lot of miles an hours' americans' travel plans. ginger zee has the latest on what we can expect.

ginger? >> more than 500 flights were delayed. new storm, and look at this, a trace to 2 inches for new york and boston. but just 80 miles away in connecticut, more than a foot of snow. more than a foot in milford, mass, too. even though the snow is for the most part done, the issues are not. overnight up to a foot of snow fell again. holiday snow, round two, came down fast and furious. in new hampshire, drivers slipped into a tailspin causing a 20-car pileup that has i-93 backed up for miles. >> what happened after that was just unbelievable. like one car after another car after another car. there wasn't anybody stopping. >> reporter: in orange county, new york, cars skidded on the icy road. at gillette stadium in massachusetts, it took serious manpower and heavy-duty machinery to prep for this afternoon's patriots game. >> we're working until the snow stops, probably around 5:00 in the morning. >> reporter: and the big dig, that winter shoveling ritual, is under way for millions this morning. anderson, indiana, got hit with as much as six inches. and there is a silver lining in all of this ice.

for plowers in westchester county, all the snow translates to cold, hard cash. >> lots of money. make lots of money. that's all. >> reporter: clearing acre after acre into the night, they had their work cut out for them. >> i've seen worse, but it's slippery. it's very slippery out. >> reporter: and whether it was 1 or 12 inches of new snow, the cold behind is sure to make any melting freeze hard. >> it's just normal procedure for the wintertime here. so you got to have some ice melt so people don't fall down the stairs. >> reporter: now let's go to killingworth, connecticut, just one of the places that had a foot. we sent our john schriffen there. >> reporter: ginger, good morning. as you predicted, this area just got dumped on. i'm going to take my yardstick and put it into a fresh piece of snow here. as you can see, we got about 10 1/2 inches in killingworth. now, the good news, the snow ended early enough for the plows to get out here overnight and clear many of these roads, but the fear this morning, the winds have really kicked up dropping the temperatures, which means there could be ice out along this area. ginger?

>> part of the extreme team this morning. thanks, john. and behind the low a lot of cold air, this morning we're below freezing. that's what we're talking about, icing, things melt, it will get icy, sidewalks and roads. so watch that. philly around the freezing mark. boston to new york going to have some issues with wind, so watch for delays there. also some new storm activity back in the southwest. los angeles, denver and dallas later tonight. that could be an issue if you are flying, so please do check ahead because the storms, they just keep a coming. i'll have the national forecast in just a couple of minutes but for now, back to dan. >> this has been a terrible holiday travel season. ginger, thanks, we'll get back to you in a few minutes. now to the epic dysfunction playing out in washington. a sort of theater of the absurd that might actually be amusing if the stakes weren't so high for the rest of us. >> that's right. two days left until we all go over the fiscal cliff, which would mean everyone's taxes will go up, and sharp spending cuts will go into effect. that could drive our economy back into recession. so let's go to abc news chief white house correspondent jonathan karl filling in today for george stephanopoulos as host of abc's "this week."

>> hey, jon, good morning. i know today and tomorrow, obviously hugely important. can you sort of walk us through the potential order of operations? what could we see play out today and tomorrow? >> well, it is right down to the wire, dan. what's happening right now is harry reid and mitch mcconnell, the top democrat, top republican in the senate, are still negotiating their staffs at this hour. they are supposed to be working until about 3:00 this afternoon when the plan would be presented to both caucuses. as we understand what they are talking about is the bare minimum. basically the senate negotiating to extend those tax cuts for everybody making under $250,000 a year and to extend unemployment benefits. also they're talking about trying to do something to stop the automatic spending cuts that go into effect, but don't expect a deal on that. now, dan, if a deal can be reached today, the senate would begin looking at it, begin debating it, and then you would

see a vote tomorrow in the senate and possibly a vote tomorrow in the house because as you know, if we get to tuesday without any of this happening, off the cliff. >> and, jon, you say off the cliff by tuesday, just two days left. how damaging would it be if we do indeed go off the cliff even if we bungee jump back up a few days or weeks after with a mini deal? >> well, the impact on everybody's taxes could be limited if they come back in the next week or so and make it retroactive. you could have a situation where people's paychecks aren't immediately affected. but, look, the effect on the economy here, bianna, as you know full well, is the uncertainty, because even if they get a deal, one of these mini deals, we're still going to have an epic battle coming up early into the new year over raising the debt ceiling because the federal government is once again reaching the limit of how much money can be borrowed, once again facing the possibility of the united states defaulting on its debts, and, you know, last time that led to a downgrade, a

credit downgrade. certainly not good news for the economy. >> we lurch from one crisis to the next. one last quick question. there's also talk about a dairy cliff involving our milk prices going up. is this real? is this likely to happen? >> isn't this great? dan, if congress does not act by tomorrow, your milk prices could, in fact, double -- by the way, cheese prices, as well. but once again, we believe that the congress will come up with some kind of a solution on this, at least a temporary one, but, again, down to the wire, they need to pass a farm bill or at least a temporary farm bill to prevent those milk prices from going up. >> d.c. forcing tax increases and lactose intolerance on america this morning. jon karl, thank you very much. jon, by the way, has a big show this morning. senators chuck schumer and jon kyl debating the cliff. that is later on "this week." a lot of news developing overnight. we go to mr. ron claiborne who has extraordinary videotape.

out of russia. a plane crash outside of moscow. we'll begin with this stunning video. the plane overshot the runway and careened into traffic and abc's kirit radia has the story. >> reporter: you're about to see the terrifying moment of impact as the russian passenger jet slams into a busy highway. watch again. you can see the plane's tire colliding with the moving car. and listen closely. you can hear the squealing brakes and crushing metal. the crash took place on saturday at an airport outside moscow. the red wing airlines flight broke through a barrier fence shattering into three pieces and bursting into flames before skidding to a stop at the edge of the highway. witnesses rushed to pull survivors out of the wreckage. the russian made tupolev 204 was flying back from the czech republic with no passengers and eight crew members on board.

officials say four of them were killed including the pilots. the other four were seriously injured. an investigation has been opened but officials have already suggested that pilot error was to blame. miraculously, everyone on the highway survived. for "good morning america," kirit radia, abc news, moscow. >> really amazing video there. and in southern california police are searching for an assailant who stabbed two teenagers at a shopping mall. the victims, a boy and a girl both under the age of 18, were attacked near a movie theater in redondo beach. that was last night. they were rushed to the hospital. both underwent emergency surgery. there's no word on what may have led to those stabbings. and new york city police have arrested the woman they say pushed a man onto subway tracks as the train was arriving killing him. prosecutors charge erica menendez with murder as a hate crime. she allegedly told police she shoved the man in front of an oncoming train on thursday

because she hates hindus and muslims because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. the victim, sunando sen, was from india. and finally, changing subjects here, talk about quick thinking. a small boat was caught on camera as it went up in flames on the bank of a lake in new zealand. no one on land could reach the boat, but watch as another boat on the water speeds by creating a wake, clever thinking there, huh, enough to drown out the flames in one shot, but the boater made a couple more passes to make sure that the burning boat was extinguished, and apparently it worked. >> quick thinking. >> pretty quick thinking. now you can a slightly used boat in new zealand. i'm sure very cheap. half off or more. >> all right, ron, thanks. well, we are happy to say there's very good news this morning about the health of former president george h.w. bush. this morning he's out of intensive care at a houston hospital where he's been staying for more than a month now, and maybe the mini concert he got by phone from one of his favorite

country super groups has something to do with his improvement. abc's clayton sandell has the story. ♪ amazing grace how sweet the sound ♪ >> reporter: it was a spirit-lifting serenade for the 88-year-old former commander in chief ordered up by former first lady barbara bush. >> she called us and said that we should cheer the president up and if the oak ridge boys could all get together and sing him a song or two. >> reporter: mr. bush has been in this houston hospital more than a month fighting complications of bronchitis. he's not only a huge oak ridge boys fan, he's friends with the band members and when they called friday, he had a request. >> and he said he was ready to hear some of "elvira." elvira elvira ♪ ♪ i've been thinking >> that would make him feel good. ♪ my heart's on fire >> reporter: they sang it then picked one of their favorites.

♪ i once was lost but now i am found was blind but now i see ♪ >> there you go! >> hey, thanks. >> reporter: the music may have been good medicine. the day after the oak ridge boys called in, mr. bush was moved out of intensive care. for "good morning america," clayton sandell, abc news, houston. >> great news, and bianna was singing "elvira" along with it. >> no, i wasn't. >> sounded great. now, to a very different kind of story that starts with a bank teller abducted from her own home in phoenix on friday night and a suspected bomb strapped around her neck. the fbi is now on this case, and abc's muhammad lila has more. >> reporter: it's a quiet strip mall, now the scene of an fbi investigation. the horrifying ordeal started friday. the victim, a woman who works at

the bank of america branch here was at home when an intruder stormed in sometime after 6:00 p.m. fbi investigators say she spent the entire night held hostage in her own home. the next morning at around 8:00 the suspect drives her to the bank and straps what he says is a bomb to her neck. luckily when other employees show up about an hour later, they called police. by then a suspect is long gone without any of the money. police moving quickly and discover the bomb is a fake. >> a traumatic night to be held against your will to be used as a pawn in a bank robbery. >> reporter: do people think they can get away with crimes like this? >> they know it's a risk, but they feel like it's worth it for the payoff because that's just how bad guys think. >> reporter: as outrageous as it was, this isn't the first time someone has strapped a bomb on a hostage to get money. just last year 18-year-old madeleine pulver was alone in the family's multimillion dollar australia home when a masked intruder burst in. he strapped a bomb-like device to her neck leaving a letter

behind demanding money, warning the device would go off if she called the cops. bravely she did and after ten excruciating hours the bomb squad defused the device only to learn later it was a fake. as for the suspect in phoenix, fbi investigators are now combing the victim's home for clues. the victim is now recovering with police hot on the suspect's trail. if you had to guess how long do you think it's going to take before police catch who is behind this? >> i'd be willing to bet by next week we'll know something. >> reporter: for "good morning america," i'm muhammad lila, abc news, washington. all right. time for a check of the weather. and over to ginger. hey, ginger. >> good morning. we've been talking so much about the cold and snow in the northeast and new england, i thought let's go to the cold and stormy out in the pacific northwest or the southwest actually. i want to start in pacifica, california, up to 14-foot waves there, and the temperatures with this next storm in the southwest going to be about 5 to 10 degrees below average. los angeles yesterday had a half inch of rain, 59 their high today. palm springs around 59. flagstaff, 35. that low is going to move into west texas bringing a little rain and, of course, in some of

the mountains some snow. next up though we have to talk about how cold it is this morning along the gulf. mobile, alabama, had tornadoes this week. now they've got frost advisories and windchill advisories for tampa, they only see 48, but we have to talk one more element because chicago has been above 32 for their high temperatures for 308 days until today. they're breaking the streak. 26 will be the high. by new year's, 18. some of the coldest air. now let's get a ch

we didn't get to see any of the images from new jersey yet, and there's snow. so we go first to linda's picture. she sent it on facebook. a beautiful pasture with the fresh snow. next up, oh, such a nice sunrise in north carolina. thank you for sending in photos. please send more. snow, ice, i don't care what it is. just send them @ginger_zee. >> whatever pictures you have send them over to ginger. all right. ginger, thanks. we are just a day away from the start of new year's celebrations. here in new york they've been testing dropping confetti from the big times square ball drop and out in california, volunteers are in a feverish rush to put the finishing touches on one of america's other great new year's traditions, the annual tournament of roses parade. brandi hitt joins us to show us how it's done. good morning, brandi. >> reporter: good morning, bianna. what a fun assignment. if you've ever wondered what it takes to build these elaborate floats for national television, well, we went to work and got our hands dirty.

♪ everything is coming up roses in pasadena. and this is your ticket behind the scenes to the 124th annual tournament of roses parade. >> i take off the whole week of work to do this. >> reporter: that's because there's more to these floats than just flowers, it takes days of painting, blending and gluing around the clock to make these creations come to life. for the first time in six years disney is returning to the rose parade. after all, walt disney was the grand marshal in 1966. this year's float, disneyland's newest attraction, carsland. >> up and down route 66 looking around smiling with sally. >> reporter: the 125-foot-long float will have 45 moving parts and a waterfall. how many flowers are we talking about covering this entire float? >> hundreds of thousands. >> reporter: to build this float, they will use 1.5 tons of seed, 200 gallons of glue and

2,000 volunteers like melissa rodriguez. >> it just makes me feel nice giving back to some people in my community. >> reporter: and this work is not easy. as i quickly found out. wait. it takes six hours just to cover this one car with glue and seeds. >> there you go. >> wonderful. >> not bad. not bad at all. >> reporter: every float is unique this year. and for the first time, a wedding will be televised live from atop this farmers' insurance love float. >> we're going to be way up there. >> reporter: we were with the lucky couple from virginia when they saw for the first time where they'll be harnessed in and exchanging vows 27 feet off the ground. well, thankfully the weather is expected to hold up for the parade for that couple, and we also learned some other great secrets. because every decoration has to be natural, they'll use dried artichokes for fur and dried seaweed for windows. dan?

>> all right, brandi hitt, thank you and josh elliott from "gma" will be hosting the parade this year. >> now to the story about -- that is giving vultures a bad name. we're calling it the real-life angry birds. why are vultures attacking cars in a famous national park? john muller has been hard on the case investigating. what is going on here? >> it is a strange one, guys. these real-life angry birds are creepy to begin with, vultures, those large meat-eating birds that circle over wounded animals or road kill, they have a new item on their menu and you could be the target if you're in a car in the florida everglades. from gators to snakes, in florida's everglades you have to go in expecting some danger. the newest threat to visitors is this. >> we've had a huge increase in the numbers of black-headed vultures coming down here. >> reporter: it's a real-life game of angry birds. flocks of black vultures waiting to make a meal out of your car. >> the patron is away from

vehicle, they get down in the vehicle very, very quickly. these birds only takes a few minutes to do that kind of damage. >> reporter: as the number of these birds migrating grows, the fight to co-exist is getting fierce. for now the birds are winning at the expense of any bit of rubber they can sink their beaks into, weather stripping, windshield wipers. even tires and truck liners. biologists and park services have exhausted every strategy trying to fight off the flying attacks. >> we had to set up effigies to scare them away. they tried things like poppers, small fireworks. they come back, so it seems to be only a temporary fix right now. >> reporter: so as the assault from the air continues, we humans are playing the part of the green pigs, fortifying our cars beneath what the rangers call the vultureproofing kit. it's a tarp and bungee cords handed out for free to park visitors along with extensive signs with an ominous message, warning, vultures may cause damage to vehicles.

all right, so why are they munching on car parts? well, technically they are not, they're just ripping the stuff and discarding it. scientists say the behavior stems from boredom or some kind of ritualistic behavior young vultures use to bond. kind of makes pigeon dropping here in new york city seem warm and fuzzy. >> mean birds. >> vulture hooliganism. not an attractive bird either. >> no. >> john muller, thank you very much. coming up here on the broadcast, the swamp rescue. an intense air and ground search hitting pay dirt. two boys barefoot and soaked plucked out of a swamp. their sos and the high stakes game they played with their rescuers. plus, iparenting, a mom gives her teenage son an iphone for christmas but makes him sign an 18-page contract with rules and regulations. so what's on her long list of demands? >> great story. your choice, the best "fixation" of 2012. the people's choice awards. the results under lock and key this morning. the big reveal after a quick break here on "gma" on this sunday morning. keep it here.

the big reveal after a quick break here on "gma" on this sunday morning. keep it here. [ male announcer ] it's that time of year again. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind. i get congested. but now, with zyrtec-d®, i have the proven allergy relief of zyrtec®, plus a powerful decongestant. zyrtec-d® lets me breath freer, so i can love the air. [ male announcer ] zyrtec-d®. behind the pharmacy counter. no prescription needed. [ male announcer ] zyrtec-d®. behind the pharmacy counter. get to sears,after christmas mattress spectacular

get 36 month special financing. and save up to 60%, plus get an extra 10% off. and free delivery. this is eye opening. this is sears i can brew my coffee just the way i love it. how do you do that? inside the brewer, there's this train that makes coffee stronger, bigger, and hotter! actually, i just press this button. brew what you love with the keurig vue.

smoke? nah, i'm good. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicoderm cq, the patch with time release smart control technology that acts fast and helps control cravings all day long. ♪ quit one day at a time with nicoderm cq. and regulations.

and you're looking at rescue crews who had to use a chopper to find a couple of kids lost in an icy cold muddy swamp in the woods. even worse, they actually ended up barefoot, freezing and scared. we'll hear from them about their frightening ordeal in just a moment. good morning, america, i'm bianna golodryga. >> hey, everybody. i'm dan harris. it is sunday, december 30th. also coming up, one mother's creative approach to a dilemma. how do you handle giving your kid a cell phone? this mom drew up an 18-point contract for her son. why her rules, which are extremely creative, are going viral this morning. >> i like this idea she has. and also, your choice for the top "fixation" of the year, we showed you the nominees last week, and you've been voting for

your favorites on twitter. so which viral video sensation will it be? epic b.a.s.e. jump fail, car taking a drive through the store, dancing cockatoo, dragon baby? well, we have the results are under lock and key this morning. there you see our stage and manager, the entrusted stage manager fonzie with the winner in the suitcase. that's coming up later in the show. >> we couldn't afford pricewaterhousecoopers, so we have fonzie the stage manager. but first, the swamp rescue. the lost boys and cell phone that saved them. dan kloeffler is here with the story. good morning. >> good morning to you, dan and bianna. you know, like a lot of kids around the country, these two boys from massachusetts are trying to pack in as much fun as they can on this holiday break, but unfortunately for them, they may have been a bit too ambitious in their search for adventure. strapped to a stretcher, wrapped tightly inside a survival suit, 12-year-old jake waterman and best friend drew coveney will easily have the best "what i did over christmas break" story in their school. it started harmlessly enough, an afternoon hike around the

property behind drew's house. >> i kind of dragged him into it. we decided to go and see if we could find the end. we went really deep out in the swamp, and there's a lot of water out there. >> reporter: as they meandered the temperature started to drop, the sun began to set, and the boys suddenly realized they had no idea where they were. their only hope, jake's cell phone. >> i called my brother. he thought i was kidding around and thought i was just dumb because i couldn't -- i couldn't find my way home. >> reporter: far from the warm glow of their homes, the boys fell into the water. their frozen shoes too painful to keep on. >> our feet were freezing, and every time we stood on them, it hurt really bad. >> i had two t-shirts on, so i took off one and wrapped it around jake's feet. >> reporter: worries of hypothermia or worse. finally, fears pushed drew to call his mom. >> we figured we'd get in trouble. >> reporter: drew's mom immediately called the police. >> we activated the sirens of our crews to see if they could

hear it. they said they could hear it. but we knew they were a distance off. >> reporter: they used their cell phone to play a high stakes game of hot and cold with state police hovering in a helicopter. >> he played this game where he'd shine his light down. every time he got closer to us, we'd say hotter. if he was moving farther away from us, we'd say colder. >> reporter: from there police on the ground finally located the boys and pulled them from their nightmare. they were given the all clear from a nearby hospital where anxious parents had been praying for a happy ending. >> certainly it's the holiday season and having them home is the best gift of all. >> my brother said he's going to give me a survival lesson. trust me, he doesn't know any more than i do. >> wise words. almost five hours in the freezing cold. they finally see their folks. aside from warm dry clothes you know what they wanted, chicken fingers and fries. they got that as their welcome home meal obviously well deserved, right? >> totally reasonable request. dan kloeffler, thank you. appreciate it. time for the other headlines.

back to ron claiborne. >> good morning, bianna and dan. good morning, everyone. we begin with that fiscal cliff hanger in washington, d.c. there are now just two days left until automatic tax hikes and severe budget cuts go into effect. president obama is urging democrats and republicans to reach a deal. senate leaders are working on a last-minute compromise. that could be voted on tomorrow. a horrific accident in mississippi. six people including five children were killed when their suv plunged into a creek yesterday. the children were all related. police say four other adults including the parents of those children managed to escape the cause of that accident is under investigation. and stunning video of a plane crash outside of moscow, russia, the passenger plane overshot the runway and slammed into a highway yesterday. amazing video. four of the eight crew members on board were killed. there were no passengers on the plane and no one on the highway was hurt. the cause of that crash is under investigation. and finally, a celebration

at the vatican. about 40,000 young pilgrims from all across europe attended an open air mass conducted by pope benedict. they cheered as the pope waved to the crowd from his popemobile and the crowd gathered in st. peter's square as part of a mission to promote peace. >> time now for the weather and over to ginger zee. >> ron, i had to start out with pure cuteness on this one. we have to head to rhode island where they had some snow last night, in some places quite a bit, and emma claire there is experiencing it for the first time. yes, her dad just wanted to send us a little ireport and let us know how emma -- she is very fascinated, he said. she gets down, starts touching it and playing with it. many more years of snow if you're staying in rhode island, emma claire. thanks for sending that. we do have another storm to watch for. now the other one has moved off the northeast and through new england, parts of north texas and the western part of oklahoma now with some winter weather advisories in place. i don't think this is going to be as big of a snowmaker. it's going to dampen out as it heads to the east. quite a bit of rain from dallas

and parts of the gulf eventually. so as far as new year's eve goes, what will be the temperature be like? well, in times square it will be closer to the freezing mark. chicago colder and colder and las vegas, 37 if you're celebrating there right at midnight. >> this weather report brought to you by the u.s. postal service. dan and bianna. >> i picked my "fixation" for the year. it's emma claire from rhode island. that is great. really cute. thank you, ginger. coming up here on "gma," it is always risky, as you know, to give a kid a cell phone. one mother has come up with an extraordinary solution. she drew up an 18-point contract making waves this morning. we'll tell you about it. is the tension building? we'll reveal your choice for

"fixation" of the year. could it be this dancing cockatoo? has come up with an extraordinary solution. she drew up an 18-point contract making waves this morning. we'll tell you about it. is the tension building? we'll reveal your choice for "fixation" of the year. could it be this dancing cockatoo? any time of year. ♪ nice sweater. thank you. ♪ thank you. ( ♪ ) for those nights when it's more than a bad dream, be ready.

for the days when you get a sudden call from the school, be ready. for the times you need to double-check the temperature on the thermometer, be ready. when you have children's motrin on hand, you're ready. for high fever, nothing works faster or lasts longer than children's motrin. be ready with children's motrin. he is a good little monkey and always very curious. one day george got an important letter... he's built a rocket ship to travel into space. it's just the right size for a clever monkey. do you want to go into space, george? you will have to be very brave. hi, grandma! oh hi,. my little monkey! here. thank you very much. you're welcome. everyone got on and they were off to the launching site.

google, how far is earth to the moon? moon is 238,900 miles... the great moment had come... ...5...4...3...2...1 get to sears,after christmas mattress spectacular get 36 month special financing. and save up to 60%, plus get an extra 10% off. and free delivery. this is eye opening. this is sears

♪ hey i just met you and this is crazy ♪

>> so how is this for a new year's resolution. have your teen sign a contract with you for how to behave with that shiny new iphone. the highly detailed 18-point contract was the idea of a blogger and a mom who just bought her son a new iphone for christmas. could she be on to something in the new age of so-called iparenting? abc's akiko fujita is here with the story. i like what she's doing, this mom. >> yeah, this is a story that a lot of teens can relate to. parents with a very long list of rules. a teenager had been begging his mom for an iphone all year without much success. so he was pleasantly surprised to find one all wrapped up on christmas day. that is until he found the very personal, very detailed contract that came with it, not from the phone company, no, this one was written by his mom. >> number one, it is my phone, i bought it, i pay for it. >> no porn. >> i will always know the password.

>> reporter: it's not exactly the christmas list you'd expect as a 13-year-old. >> hand the phone in to one of your parents at approximately 7:30 p.m. >> reporter: an 18-point contract littered with dos and don'ts. >> don't take a zillion pictures and videos. >> reporter: greg hoffman's ticket to a brand new iphone. >> oh, my god. my first reaction was why, why did she really have to do this? >> what i wanted to do and show him, on how you could be a responsible user of technology without abusing it without becoming addicted. >> reporter: janelle hoffman's message has struck a chord with parents worried about the increasing use of smartphones. more than 50 million iphones are projected to sell this holiday season alone. many of them to teens just like greg. teen behavior expert josh shipp says a set of rules is a must for teen iphone use. >> you wouldn't give your kid a car without making sure they have insurance, so giving them a

cell phone or a computer without teaching them how to use it responsibly is irresponsible on the part of the parent. >> reporter: among the 18 conditions, number 7. >> do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. >> reporter: at number 12, a lesson some celebrities could use this year. take note, rihanna. >> do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else's private parts. >> reporter: greg is especially nervous about rule number 6, which says he is responsible for replacement costs if the phone falls into the toilet or vanishes into thin air. a legitimate concern considering there are nearly 16,000 apple gadgets stolen in new york city alone this year, and if he does lose his phone -- >> hopefully i'll just make up a good excuse or -- >> reporter: there are valuable lessons here for adults too. >> keep your eyes up, see the world happening around you. stare out a window, listen to birds, take a walk, talk to a stranger.

wonder without googling. >> reporter: now greg's mom says a lot of this was done in jest addressed partly to all the adults so consumed with their iphones. my personal favorite, rule number 3, do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads mom or dad, not ever. >> that's a golden rule of that family, right? >> exactly. >> i like his initial response. why? >> he did say that, but he said i would have followed these rules anyway. >> oh, yeah, well, good answer. all right. akiko, thank you, it's a great story. coming up on "good morning america," we ask you to vote for your favorite "fixation" of 2012. could it be the guys driving a car through the store? we'll reveal your choice coming up next. odidn't make it.gs we'll send them to your hotel. [ sad music playing ] this is fun. [ sad music continues ] [ knock on door ] your bags, sir. thanks. both: finally! one taste, and you'll understand. enjoy delicious dunkin' donuts coffee anytime. best vacation ever!

pick some up where you buy groceries. america runs on dunkin'. get to sears,after christmas mattress spectacular get 36 month special financing. and save up to 60%, plus get an extra 10% off. and free delivery. this is eye opening. this is sears it just wouldn't go away. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can plan my days and accomplish more. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision

or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. ask your doctor if lyrica is right it seems our angels have been stronger angel soft®. it's built with two softshield™ layers. stronger, holds up better, and still a value you love. new angel soft®. now stronger than ever. i can't breathe, so i can't sleep. and the next day i pay for it. i tried decongestants... i tossed and turned...

i even vaporized. and then i fought back with drug-free breathe right. these nasal strips instantly open my nose, like a breath of fresh air. i was breathing and sleeping better. [ female announcer ] exercise your right to breathe right. get two free strips at breatheright.com. hey it's your right to breathe right.

♪re ♪ you are an obsession you're my obsession ♪ all right, time now for the big reveal for our people's

choice awards, the top "fixation" of 2012. last week we showed you the nominees, the epic b.a.s.e. jump fail, the guys driving a car through a store and giggling, the crazy dancing cockatoo and the one called dragon baby, and it is time to reveal the winner. can we get the envelope, please, fonzie? that one. >> top secret. >> we spared no expense in the delivery of this envelope. bianna? >> here we go. here we go. here we go. here we go. >> well done. >> and it's -- >> come on. come on. come on. >> dragon baby. >> dragon baby. all right. >> dragon baby. >> and as we watch this for a second, just take a second and soak this in before we bring in the creator. ♪ >> oh. >> the killer baby, and we are thrilled to have patrick boivin, who is the creator of this amazing video. his son is the star, and there they are. both sporting mohawks this morning. i'm digging the look, guys.

>> congratulations. >> thank you. >> so, patrick -- >> i don't hear you well. i'm sorry if i might be like uh -- >> that's okay. we'll speak up. patrick, i have to ask you, how did you come up with this idea? >> well, it's a simple idea. in fact, your child playing with a teddy bear. in that case, a dragon, and it's just because i can do it actually. i'm a special effects specialist, so i just wanted to do it. it's fun, in fact, and i did one with my daughter two years ago, and now i had to do one with him, otherwise he would have been jealous in a few years. >> so talk to us about how you did it. we actually have some video of the special effects you used. can you walk us through how you got it done? >> well, yeah, actually i designed costumes in two scales, one scale for him, the other scale for a stunt man, the same

thing with the dragon, then i started shooting the fighting scene in front of a green screen outside. then i shot my boy over a green screen, as well, and i replaced the head and the shoulders of my boy, and i placed him -- i placed the head and the shoulders over the stunt man, and that's it. >> awesome. so great. we love the video. >> but basically that's the -- >> i'm wondering if you can do something -- >> the only special effect you have is the combination of two scales. >> i'm wondering if you can do something for my 9-month-old son jake. that would be a fun video to watch. your son is adorable. congratulations, we love the video. our viewers love it, as well. can't wait to see what's next. >> thank you. >> thanks so much. >> thank you. >> we're back after a quick break. when we come back, ron will be sporting a mohawk. keep it here. when we come back, ron will be

sporting a mohawk. keep it here. to travel into space." built a rocket shp google, how far is earth to the moon? the moon is 238,900 miles... "the great moment had come." 3, 2, 1... [ giggling ] [ tylenol bottle ] me too! and nasal congestion. [ tissue box ] he said nasal congestion. yeah...i heard him. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online.

have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind. citi price rewind. get to sears,after christmas mattress spectacular get 36 month special financing. and save up to 60%, plus get an extra 10% off. and free delivery. this is eye opening. this is sears oh, it's great! now i can brew my coffee just the way i love it.

how do you do that? well, inside the brewer, there's this train that's powerful enough to carry more coffee and fresh water to make coffee that's stronger and bigger... and even hotter! actually, i just press this button. brew the coffee you love -- stronger, bigger, or hotter -- with the keurig vue.

well, from our family to well, from our family to yours, we want to wish you a happy new year. thank you for being with us through 2012. we can't wait till 2013. happy new year, everyone. .

good morning, and welcome to a special edition of "this week." >> the hour for immediate action is here. >> there's no doubt about that. with less than two days before america plunges over the fiscal cliff, lawmakers are finally saying, let's make a deal. >> i'm hopeful and optimistic. >> whatever we come up with will be imperfect, and some people won't like it. >> what will the imperfect solution look like? even if there is a deal, will it be able to pass? and why does it always come to this? >> this is deja vu all over again. >> we'll ask our headliners. from the senate, democrat chuck schumer and republican jon kyl. from the house, democrat chris van hollen and republican raul labrador. in our p